Clinical characteristics of 365 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with neurological symptoms: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of COVID-related neurological manifestations have been reported. We aimed to categorize the features of hospitalized COVID-19 patients who experienced neurological symptoms. METHODS: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, we enrolled all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who experienced neurological symptoms in two hospitals in Tehran. Diagnosis of COVID-19 was established by PCR tests or computed tomography of the chest combined with COVID-19 clinical findings. The clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and imaging findings from 365 patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The average patient age was 59.2 ± 16.7 years and included 213 males and 152 females. The most prevalent neurological symptoms were headache (56.2%), impaired consciousness (55%), and dizziness (20.5%). During hospitalization, most of the patients did not require mechanical ventilation (81.9%). The percentage of patients with end-organ damage was 9% and mortality was 15%. Regression analysis on the neurological symptoms indicated that the mortality rate of patients with headaches was 84% lower than for the other neurological symptoms. Hyperglycemia was significantly related with end-organ damage and mortality (p = 0.029, p = 0.08, respectively). New vascular lesions were evident on brain MRIs of 9 patients and brain CTs of 16 patients. CONCLUSION: Among the neurological symptoms of patients with COVID-19, headache appeared to indicate a protective factor against development of end-organ damage as well as mortality.

Ischemic Stroke in Patients with COVID-19 Disease: A Report of 10 Cases from Iran.

Ischemic stroke seems to be one of the most serious neurologic complications in patients with COVID-19 infection. Herein, we report a series of 10 ischemic stroke patients with concomitant COVID-19 disease. Out of 10, 8 had large infarcts (3 massive middle cerebral artery, 2 basilar artery, 2 posterior cerebral artery, and 1 internal carotid artery infarct territory). Two had cardiogenic embolic stroke due to atrial fibrillation. Almost half of our patients did not have a vascular risk factor. Nine did not have fever and were diagnosed with COVID-19 upon admission for stroke. Stroke occurred in the first week of respiratory symptoms with moderate pulmonary involvement. Most Patients did not have hypoxia and did not establish respiratory failure or acute respiratory distress syndrome. The blood pressures were low and hemorrhagic transformation did not occur even after antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy. Patients had markedly increased levels of lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, and D-dimer. Three patients died. It seems that ischemic strokes in COVID-19 patients tend to occur as large infarct and can be seen in patients with mild to moderate pulmonary involvement.

Identification of Serum Biomarkers for Differentiating Epileptic Seizures from Psychogenic Attacks Using a Proteomic Approach; a Comparative study.

INTRODUCTION: Differentiating actual epileptic seizures (ESs) from psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) is of great interest. This study compares the serum proteomics of patients diagnosed with ESs and PNES. METHODS: Eight patients with seizure (4 with PNES and 4 with TLE (temporal lope epilepsy)) were enrolled in this comparative study. Venous blood samples were drawn during the first hour following the seizure. Standard protein purification technique was employed and proteins were subsequently separated via 2-D electrophoresis. After comparison of the serum proteomes from the two groups, protein expression was analyzed. The differentially expressed bands were determined using both matrix-assisted laser ionization time-of-flight (MALDI/TOF) and electrospray ionization quadruple mass spectrometry (MS). RESULTS: This study identified 361 proteins, the expression of 110 proteins increased, and 87 proteins decreased in the PNES group compared with TLE group. Four separate proteins were finally identified with MALDI/TOF MS analysis. Compared with PNES group, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, ceruloplasmin, and S100-ß were down-regulated and malate dehydrogenase 2 was up-regulated in the serum of TLE patients. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that changes in serum levels of S100-ß, ceruloplasmin, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein 1, and malate dehydrogenase 2 after seizure could be introduced as potential markers to differentiate ES from PNES; however, more advanced studies are required to reach a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures; a Narrative Review.

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are paroxysmal changes that mimic epileptic seizures, so often misdiagnosed and treated for epilepsy. PNES are considered a psychiatric illness, personality pathology, and experiential and behavioral manifestation of depression. Despite studies over the past two decades, the pathological mechanisms of this disorder are unclear. In this paper, we critically review the current literature about the definition, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, related genes, and biomarkers of PNES and provide suggestions for future research. Further studies are needed for more information and knowledge on PNES to determine the appropriate psychotherapies and development of clear treatment guidelines.

Proteomic Analysis of patients with Epileptic Seizure and Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizure; a Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: There is an increasing interest in the use of different biomarkers to help distinguish psychogenic non-epileptic seizure (PNES) from epileptic seizures (ES). This study aimed to evaluate the patterns of differentially expressed serum proteins in ES and PNES cases. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 4 patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and 4 patients with PNES were selected from patients with history of recurrent seizures. Venous blood samples were obtained within 1 hour after seizure and serum proteomes as well as the extent of protein expression were analyzed. RESULTS: 361 proteins were identified; of these, expression of 197 proteins had altered. 110 (55.9%) proteins were down-regulated and 87 (44.1%) were up-regulated in the PNES samples compared to ES samples. The mean pI for deregulated proteins with 1.5 to 3 fold changes were 6.69 ± 1.68 in proteins with increasing expression in ES group and 5.88 ± 1.39 in proteins with increasing expression in PNES group (p = 0.008). The median and interquartile range (IQR) of molecular weight changes in proteins with 1.5 to 3 fold changes were 64 (22.0-86.0) in proteins whose expression had increased in ES group and 39.5 (26.0-61.5) in proteins whose expression had increased in PNES cases (p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Several spots with differential expression were observed by comparing patients with ES against the PNES groups, which could be potential biomarkers of the disease. Damage to the blood-brain barrier is the most important difference between the two groups, thus identifying total protein changes offers a key to the future of differentiating ES and PNES patients.

Therapeutic apheresis in neurological, nephrological and gastrointestinal diseases.

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is a process in which plasma containing antibodies, immune complexes, inflammatory moderators, paraproteins and other toxins which are believed to be the cause of disease is removed from a patient. TPE is the first-line treatment (category I, level 1A) in all forms of Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy disease (axonal, demyelinating and miller-fisher variant) as well as in acute myasthenic crisis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy and Paraproteinemic neuropathies (category I, level 1B). Moreover, TPE in kidney diseases, for instance: desensitization in renal transplantation(ABO compatible) (living donor)and desensitization in deceased donor, desensitization in renal transplantation(ABO incompatible) (living donor), thrombotic microangiopathy complement Mediated (Factor H autoantibodies), Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(recurrent in transplanted kidney), ANCA-associated rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis(Dialysis dependence, DAH), Anti-Glomerular basement membrane disease Goodpasture's syndrome)(DAH,Dialysis-independence,) has been utilized as an initial treatment. (category I) TPE has been used as the key therapeutic modality to reduce anti-A or anti-B antibody titers in the liver peri-transplant period with the goal of preventing rejection and facilitating graft survival. Also, plasma exchange is the first-line therapy in Wilson's disease (category I, level1C).

Bilateral Ischemic Stroke Due to Carotid Artery Compression by Abnormally Elongated Styloid Process at Both Sides: A Case Report.

Abnormal elongation of styloid process (Eagle syndrome) may cause compression of the adjacent structures in the neck, the most important of which is the carotid artery. This condition may cause damage to the wall of carotid artery and result in cerebrovascular ischemic event. Bilateral carotid artery damage and cerebral stroke because of overgrown styloid processes at both sides is a rare condition. In this article, we report a case of bilateral ischemic stroke because of carotid compression by elongated styloid process at both sides treated by surgical resection of both processes.